Sanofi Pasteur and Statens Serum Institut Team Up Against Tuberculosis

14.02.2008 – 08:03

Lyon, France (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Scientific Advances in Vaccine Research may Lead to Improved
Vaccine Against Leading Cause of Death in Developing Countries

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis
Group, announced today that it has signed a collaborative research
and license agreement with the Statens Serum Institut of Denmark
(SSI) for the development and marketing of a new vaccine against
tuberculosis (TB), a disease that causes the death of two million
people, worldwide, each year.

Under the terms of the agreement, SSI has granted sanofi pasteur
a license to its technology with regard to the use of certain fusion
proteins in the development of a tuberculosis vaccine. The license
from SSI includes access to the Intercell IC31(R) adjuvant. If the
development is successful, sanofi pasteur would manufacture the
vaccine commercially.

SSI TB vaccine candidates are recombinant protein sub-units,
including one currently in a Phase I clinical trial. Results from a
previous study showed the SSI TB vaccine technology to provide a
positive immune response. Sanofi pasteur intends to build on the
successes of the SSI vaccine program.

"This agreement is a milestone for sanofi pasteur," said Wayne
Pisano, President and Chief Executive Officer of sanofi pasteur,
which is also working to develop a vaccine against another one of the
biggest global infectious disease killers - malaria.

"The current medical arsenal is inadequate for fighting
tuberculosis," Pisano continued. "Improved vaccines are desperately
needed if we are to succeed in controlling this disease. Sanofi
pasteur and SSI are joining forces to develop a vaccine that may have
a major impact on global health by preventing a disease that
currently infects one person in the world every second."(1)

According to SSI's CEO, Nils Strandberg Pedersen, M.D., this
agreement is a very important step in the fight against tuberculosis
and for SSI. "SSI is one of the world's leading producers of BCG and
has for more than a century worked within the field of prevention and
control of TB. We are excited to team up our research with one of the
world's largest vaccine manufacturers. The combination of both
parties' leading vaccine expertise will really be able to make a
difference in the development of a novel TB vaccine for the benefit
of the world's poorest people."

The only TB vaccine (BCG--attenuated Bacille Calmette Guérin)
used in the world today was developed over 80 years ago. A TB vaccine
is especially important in areas of the world where TB is highly
prevalent and the chances of an infant or young child becoming
exposed to an infectious case are high. Although BCG is effective in
protecting infants against childhood forms of the disease, a more
effective vaccine is needed for protection of adolescents and adults
against pulmonary tuberculosis.

Professor Paul-Henri Lambert of the Centre of Vaccinology,
University of Geneva, and Chairman of the TBVAC consortium steering
committee, agrees that to effectively control TB, a new or improved
vaccine must be developed as an alternative to or a complement of
BCG. "The development of an improved TB vaccine has been a
challenging goal for decades, but significant scientific advances
have been made over the past 15 years that bring us closer than ever
before to achieving this goal," explains Dr. Lambert. "Results
obtained with recombinant protein TB vaccine candidates in
pre-clinical studies are promising, and I am very optimistic about
this approach leading to a new TB vaccine."

About Tuberculosis(2)

More than eight million people develop active TB annually, and
approximately two million die from the disease each year. The World
Health Organization estimates that there are more than 14 million
people living with TB. Those with active TB who receive no treatment
can infect an average of 10 to 15 people annually.

Most TB cases occur in Southeast Asia and Africa. One-third of
the number of new TB cases occurs in Southeast Asia, but the
estimated incidence per capita is highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Both
the highest number of estimated deaths due to TB and the highest
mortality per capita are in Africa, where HIV has led to rapid
increases in TB incidence. TB and HIV/AIDS form a lethal combination,
each speeding the other's progress.

About sanofi-aventis

Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company,
discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions to improve
the lives of everyone. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT:
SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).

Sanofi pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group,
provided more than a billion doses of vaccine in 2006, making it
possible to immunize more than 500 million people across the globe. A
world leader in the vaccine industry, sanofi pasteur offers the
broadest range of vaccines protecting against 20 infectious diseases.
The Company's heritage, to create vaccines that protect life, dates
back more than a century. Sanofi pasteur is the largest company
entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company invests more
than EUR1 million in research and development. For more information,
please visit http://www.sanofipasteur.com

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